we have just had a wholefoods store open up where i do my weekly shopping . I popped in there today to have a look and there was heaps of dried fruits ect
Does anyone know what would be the healthiest choice to maje with these

Hi Jules, you have to be very careful when eating concentrated sugar (fructose) such as dried fruit as it's so easy to eat more dried apricots than you would if they were fresh.
Having said that, my naturopath was very big on pushing 8 dried apricots per day as they were very rich in iron. He also favored prunes. I however will always go for fresh fruit (live molecular has got to be better than dried up) unless fresh fruit is un available of course.

Also if you are buying dried fruits, please get the ones that are really dried and stuck together. My sister-in-law once worked in fowlers packaging factory and she said the reason dried fruit looks so beautifully plump and doesn't stick together anymore is because they dip them in oil (even more hidden calories)

dried fruits in general are superior to any of the run of the mill snacks like chips etc. As per usual though, some have higher caloric values than others due to more or less sugar. They are full of fibre though, particularly the prunes.

Just watch how much you eat of them. They swell in your stomach and soon you will feel pretty errrgghh if you've over done it. Dried apricots and apples and pears etc are fantastic for winter - pop them in some hot water over night and they will rehydrate so it's almost like having fresh stewed apricots and apples on your breakky in mid winter (it will also show you just how much they swell in your tummy).

35kg lost. (November 2005 - October 2006)15kg gained again (as at October 2010).Back to the drawing board - Let's do this thing!

I agree with what everyone else has said - moderation is the key. I love dried apricots but it is so easy to eat them straight from the pack and I always eat more than I would if they were fresh apricots.

I read in Slimming & Health Mag that 4 whole ready to eat dried apricots is considered a snack. They are also considered Low GI which suprised me but that's what it said.

Be very careful of banana chips I'm told they are not very healthy at all - I guess it's like anything all in moderation.

Would love to hear what you decided on.

Cheers
Angel

Last edited by Angel on Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.